The multi-talented actor/singer Jim Dale's career spanned more than half a century, during which he was a standup comic, a radio personality, a pop star, a stage actor in straight plays and musicals, a songwriter, a film and television actor, and a voice-over narrator. His most notable achievements included his co-writing of the Academy Award-nominated hit song "Georgy Girl," his Tony Award-winning performance in the title role of the musical Barnum, and his Grammy-winning recitations of the audiobook versions of the Harry Potter novels.
Dale was born James Smith in Rothwell,...